The grounds of Fermilab host more than Sigma-sub-b particles, B-sub-s mesons and top quarks. The indigenous grasses and flowers that grow on the prairie have properties almost as interesting. Native tribes and early pioneers depended upon many of the plants we see when looking out the window.

Culver's root

Culver's root
The local tribe, the Winnebagos, used Culver's Root (Veronicastrum virginicum) to treat snakebite. Throughout its growing region, Culver's root served as a purgative and reviver. It was an important part of medicine bags and war bundles. "This is only one of many such revivers and is always found with evil medicines, so that a sorcerer can undo his work," Wisconsin naturalist Huron Smith wrote in his 1923 book, Ethnobotany of the Menomi Indians. Pioneers also used Culver's root as a purgative and emetic, often as a substitute for mercury, to treat liver disorders, respiratory problems, fever and venereal diseases.

Big bluestem

Big bluestem
The native grass, big bluestem or turkey-foot (Andropogon gerardii), is the main component of prairies in our area. The root system--which branches throughout the topsoil and may extend as deep as 12 feet--knits the prairie together. Modern gardeners plant it for erosion control. Native Americans used the grass medically, as an analgesic and diuretic, and as building material. Tribes like the Ponca and the Omaha covered poles with this grass to support earth coverings of lodges. The Ponca and Omaha also used the jointed stems of the grass to make arrows for the toy bows of little boys.

Goldenrod species

Goldenrod species
The Fermilab prairie supports several native species of goldenrod (Genus Solidago). Native tribes had many uses for these late-blooming plants--a tea to treat heart disease, pain killer for bee stings, topical treatment for cramps and a nasal decongestant to name a few. The Omaha tribe also used goldenrod as a seasonal indicator. During their summer buffalo hunt, it acted as a kind of floral calendar. The sight of goldenrod told them their corn was beginning to ripen back home.
--D.A. Venton

Special thanks to Rita Hassert of the Morton Arboretum and Mary Jo Murphy of the Lederman Science Center.

Disclaimer: Although Native Americans and settlers used these plants, their effect is often unpredictable and, in large doses, toxic. We do not recommend home use.

Chicago Sun-Times, October 24, 2006:Fermilab gets charge out of new particles Physicists catch up with matter mostly absent since Big Bang

Nature's zoo of subatomic particles just got more crowded.

Physicists at west suburban Fermilab on Monday announced the discovery of two exotic particles that haven't been around much since the first few moments after the universe began with a Big Bang.

Physicists spent five years and combed through enough data to fill 2 million CDs before identifying the new particles. Each one existed for less than a millionth of a second before breaking apart into other particles.

There are hundreds of known and suspected subatomic particles. Physicists sometimes give them whimsical names such as quarks and squarks. But the newly discovered particles have a relatively drab name: sigma-sub-b. (Sigma is the 18th letter of the Greek alphabet.) There are two types of sigma-sub-b: one has a positive charge, the other a negative charge.
Read More

CR

One of the difficult aspects of managing any laboratory is

Pier Oddone

to start the fiscal year without knowing what the budget will be for the entire year. This happens every time Congress does not pass the budget before the start of a new fiscal year. In such a case, the way the government continues its activities is by passing a bill called a "Continuing Resolution," known as a "CR" for short. The problem with a CR is that it establishes a level of funding that is the lower of the president's Budget Request or last year's budget. Under a CR funds are released in increments at the lower of the two rates, and the CR is extended until Congress passes the budget.

For FY07, the fiscal year we started three weeks ago, there is a very significant difference between last year's budget (the lower number) and the President's budget request. To make things even more challenging, DOE's initial financial plan (IFP) for the laboratory for FY07 is based on the IFP for FY06, which was considerably below the final budget for the full FY06. All of this can be quite confusing if you have never thought about it before. It is a necessary background, however, for what I want to communicate next, namely how we manage under this year's CR. The bottom line is that under a CR we have a lot less funding than what the laboratory needs to operate normally.

In managing under the CR we cannot spend at the planned rate under the president's Budget Request. We need to slow spending as much as possible because the final budget outcome, especially in this election year, is highly uncertain. We want to take reversible measures not irreversible ones. Hopefully this situation will not last longer than a few months, but there have been cases in which a CR continued for a full year. Until the situation with the budget is clarified we should delay or minimize expenditures for items like travel, purchase orders and service contracts to the extent possible. That said, we must also be careful to minimize the damage and delays to the program under these difficult circumstances.

Another computing scam: Watch out for phony greeting cards
Fermilab employees are receiving bogus e-greeting cards that appear to be sent from a legitimate company called All-Yours.net. When you click on the link provided in the greeting card email, your computer will download a virus. You can find a more detailed description of the scam here. Note the description is old, but the scam is still the same and may pick up during the holiday season.

SciTech museum pizza party
SciTech Hands On Museum is holding a Paleo Pizza Party
for families from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Friday, November 17. You can find more information in the SciTech press release.

A new Golf League location?
The Fermilab Golf League has an opportunity to run a summer league at Arrowhead Golf Club (on Butterfield Road in Wheaton) Tuesdays at 4:30 p.m. or Wednesdays at 5:07 p.m., starting in 2007. If you might be interested in joining this league, please send an e-mail message to Mike Matulik (matulik@fnal.gov). If there is sufficient interest, a meeting will be held to determine the details. If, after considering the details, there are enough interested golfers to warrant league play we will contact Arrowhead and make final arrangements. According to Arrowhead, the times are not held for us and may be given to another league at any time. Please send your message indicating interest to Mike by Oct. 27, 2006.